Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, broadcast from 10:20pm on Saturday 22nd August, former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says he believes the criticism he received at the club was harsh.

Allardyce left the Hammers at the end of last season, with both fans and those in charge of the club having become disillusioned with the manager and the brand of football on offer.

He was replaced by Slaven Bilic this summer, with the Croatian being tasked with bringing a more attractive style of football to the club ahead of their move to the Olympic Stadium at the end of the season.

However, the veteran boss says he felt unappreciated at tines, believing the criticism he received was harsh given how they improved under his leadership.

“You feel that the criticism is a little harsh when you’ve taken them from where they started to where they’ve got to. There’s always a big expectation at West Ham, but I always felt it was a small minority that made a big noise. I never felt it was a vast majority personally.”

The West Ham way under Allardyce?

One big criticism that was labelled at Allardyce’s sides was that they didn’t play the West Ham way, with them being described as somewhat of a long ball team.

Many have questioned what the West Ham way is though, with nobody being sure of the exact style of play that the Hammers fans crave, although it is sure to be something akin to what London rivals Arsenal put on week in week out.

Allardyce though, says that if attractive football is the West Ham way, then his side certainly provided that last season.

“I always thought that playing attractive football and winning, but the winning is the priority. We did that last year, certainly the first half, we didn’t quite manage it in the second half, but we certainly played attractive football.”

Sean Lunt

Sean Lunt is a Journalism and Spanish graduate with a passion for football. As an avid Everton fan he has survived the Walter Smith era, enjoyed the resurgence under David Moyes and is now wholly embracing the Spanish revolution with Roberto Martinez. Away from Everton he follows the rest of the football league and has a particular interest in La Liga.